Reminder device



March 1954 N. ABRAMS ET AL 7 REMINDER DEVICE Filed'Jan'. 26, 1953 INVENTORS NICHOLAS ABRAMS BY HARRY R. GREENE ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 2, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REMINDER DEVICE NicholasAbrams and Harry R. Greene, Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to Lee Products 1110;, Pasadena, Calif., a corporation of California Application January 26, 1953, Serial No. 333,304

This invention relates generally to indicators, and more particularly to devices embodying a list of subjects which can be selectively rendered distinctive from the remaining subjects for future reference, so as to obviate the necessity of relying on the memory to recall the particular subjects previously selected.

An object of this invention is to provide a reminder device, which, in one of its many adaptations, may be utilized by the housewife or shopper in making up a grocery or market list as wanted articles are thought of from time to time, by selectively setting or adjusting indicators or markers which are correlated with the names of a wide range of commodities displayed on the device, to thus designate the wanted articles on the list and eliminate the unreliable practice of attempting to recall the wanted articles from memory when shopping.

Another object of this invention is to provide a reminder device of the above described character which is simply constructed of parts capable of being easily and quickly assembled; which is very compact so as to enable it to be conveniently carried in a pocket or handbag; and which embodies indicating or marking elements individually adjustable to selectively occupy indicating or non-indicating positions with respect to names of commodities, and releasably retained in either position by pairs of resilient members or portions of the support between which the elements are mounted for such adjustment.

With these and other objects in view, the in vention resides in the combinations, arrangements and functional relationships of elements as set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view showing in front elevation, partly broken away, one form of reminder device embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a view of the reminder rear elevation;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2 and illustrating one of a multiplicity of indicating elements in indicating position;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 and illustrating the indicating element in non-indicating position; and 3 Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 with the indicating element in an intermediate position device in 5 Claims. (Cl. 116134) 2 between indicating and non-indicating positions.

Referring specifically to the drawings, this invention in its present embodiment comprises a support 5 constructed of plastic or other suitable material and composed of two mating front and rear disks and II, respectively, having confronting'annular grooves l2 and i3 at their peripheries co-acting to define a perimetrical channel l4 interrupted at equally spaced intervals circumferentially by radial, parallel-walled slots l formed in the disks, all so as to divide the peripheral portion of' the support into a multiplicity of pairs of resilient members or arms [6 and I1 on the respective disks l0 and H between successive slots l5. It will be noted that in transverse section the confronting surfaces of the members I6 and I! which form the channel I4 are oblongated radially and have their ends rounded as indicated at l8 for co-action with indicating elements in a manner to be later described.

The disk H is provided with an annular centering rib seating in an annular centering groove 2| in the disk I0, and the rib 20 is provided with a notch 22 which receives a teat 23 projecting from the groove 2|, all so as to definitely and accurately relate the disks both radially and circumferentially when assembling the disks which may be permanently secured together by means of a suitable adhesive in the groove 2| or by heating or'welding of the disks.

In the present instance, forty of the slots l5 are shown, but it will be understood that any number thereof may be used to correspond with indicia in the form of names of commodities listed on a paper disk chart 25 afiixed by a suitable adhesive to the front disk I0 with the names radially arranged opposite'the respective slots as shown in Figure 1. For the purpose of a market or grocery shopping list, the names of the most commonly used articles will be provided in alphabetical order on the chart 25.

The indicating elements E, of which there is one for each of the slots l5, are identically constructed of plastic or other suitable material. Each of the elements E comprises an oblongated body '30 having rounded, cam-forming ends BI and mounted in the channel H by being placed between the disks l0 and H before the disks are secured. together so as tobe permanently confined in the channel. Fromone end of the body of each element E extends a shank 32 projecting freely through oneof the slots 15 and having on its end a spherical head 33 which constitutes an indicator as well as a finger piece by which the element may be moved to occupy either the non-indicating position shown in Figure 4 or the indicating position shown in Figure 5.

The body 30 of each element E, which is considerably wider than the width of the slots l5, bears at its. rounded ends against the resilient members l6 and H at opposite sides of the particular slot in which the shank 32 of the respective element E works, as will be clear from Figure 1.

The operation of the invention is as follows:

Let it be assumed that all indicating elements E occupy non-indicating position, and that the housewife or other user wishes to purchase certain of the articles listed on the chart 25. Those indicating elements E directly opposite the names of the wanted articles are now rotated from non-. indicating position at the rear side of the support S to the indicating position at the front side of the support as shown in Figure 1.

It will be noted from Figures 4 and 5 that upon initiating movement of an indicating element E from either non-indicating position or indicating position, that the rounded ends 3i of the body 30iunction as cams against the confronting surfaces of those pairs of resilientmembers IB and I! at opposite sides of the respective slot I5, so as to spread and stress the members as shown in Figure 6 against the urging action of the members to return to their contracted position shown in Figures 4 and 5 wherein the confronting edges of the members abut.

Thus, it will be clear that under the urging action of the members l6 and H, the indicating elementsE will be releasably retained in the extreme position to which they are moved, so as to co-act or not with the names of articles of the list on the chart 25. As the device may be conveniently carried in the handbag or about the person so as to be readily available when shopping, the unreliable practice of attempting to memorize the names of wanted articles and recalling same from memory when at the market is eliminated.

We claim:

l. A reminder device comprising: a support having resilient members arranged in pairs spaced from each other to provide intervening slots; the members of each pair being relatively urged towards each other; indicating elements working in said slots and having laterally projecting portions interposed between and engaged by the members of the pairs at. opposite sides of the respective slots, to mount the elements for rocking movement to an extreme position at one side of the support or the other; said portions of each element being shaped'to spread the members of therespective pair and place same under stress during movement of the elements from either of -said extreme positions; whereby to releasably're tain the elements in their extreme positions under the urging action of the members; and indicia on one side of said support with which said elements are co-actable to give respectively different indications when the elements occupy the respective extreme position. 4

2. A reminder device comprising: a support having a-perimet-rical channeldefined by opposed walls provided with slots at spacedlocations along the length or the channel to for-m the wallsinto pairs of opposed resilient members between successive slots, yieldingly urged towards each other;

4 indicating elements working in said slots and having cam portions disposed between members of said pairs to mount said portions in said channel for rocking movement to an extreme position at one side of the support or the other; said portions of each element being operable to force the members of the respective pair outwardly from each other as movement of the element from either extreme position is effected, so that the members, under their urging action, will tend to releasably retain the element in one or the other of said extreme positions; and indicia on one side of the support with which said elements are co-actable to give respectively different indications when the elements occupy the respective extreme position.

3. A reminder device comprising: front and rear disks rigidly secured together with the peripheral portions of the disks free and co-acting to form an annular channel therebetween; said peripheral portions having radial slots extendin across said channel to interrupt same at spaced locations circumferentially and provide intervening pairs of resilient arms in opposed relation urged relatively towards each other; indicating elements, one for each slot and each composed of a body mounted in said channel, a shank projecting from the body through one of said slots and having an indicating head providing a finger piece by which the element can be rocked to one extreme position or another to accordingly dispose the head at the outer side of said front disk or rear disk; said bodies or the elements being cam shaped to spread said resilient arms or a pair thereof and place same under stress upon movement of the bodies from either extreme position, whereby to releasably retain said elements in either extreme position by the urging action of said arms; and indicia on the front disk with which said heads co-act when in the respective extreme position to give respectively different indications.

4. A reminder device comprising: a support having resilient members arranged in pairs spaced from each other to provide intervening slots, with the members of each pair being relatively urged towards each other; indicating elements working in said slots and having laterally projecting cam bodies disposed between members of adjacent pairs to mount said bodies for rocking movement to an extreme position at one side of the support or the other; said body of each element being engageable with portions of said members or those pairs thereof at opposite sides of the slot in which the element works so as to spread the members of such pairs and place same under stress upon movement of the element from either extreme position, while those elements at opposite sides of the element being operated are held against movement by engagement of their bodies with portions of the members of the nextadjacent pairs thereof; and a reference list on one side of the support with which said elements are coactable.

5. A reminder device comprising: a support having a perimetrical channel defined by opposed walls provided with slots at spaced locations along the length of the channel to form the walls into pairs of opposed resilient arms between successive slots, with the arms ofeach pair being yieldingly urged towards each other; indicating elements working in said slots and having cam bodies disposed between the arms of adiacentfpairs to mount said bodies in said channel for rockin movement to an extreme position at one side of the support or the other; said bodies of each element being engageable with portions of the arms of those pairs thereof at opposite sides of the slot in which each element works, so as to spread the arms of such pairs and place same under stress upon movement of the element from either extreme position, while those elements at opposite sides of that element being operated are held against movement by engagement of their bodies 10 with portions of the arms of adjacent pair there- 6 I of; and a reference list on one side of the support with which said elements are oo-aotable.

NICHOLAS ABRAMS. HARRY R. GREENE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 566,297 Cooley Aug. 25, 1896 1,659,691 Kingman Feb. 21, 1928 

